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  United Nations head, Antonio Guterres has struck a somber tone as he warned leaders convened in New York at the organization's General Assembly that the world is knowingly marching into a wider war."  Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 2022, and with the one year anniversary of the war approaching, Russia plans to carry out a blistering offensive on Ukranian territories, while Ukraine prepares to receive new western weapons to carry out their counteroffensive, meaning the war shows no signs of ending. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is inflicting untold suffering on the Ukrainian people with profound global implications. The prospects for peace keep diminishing, he said. "The chances of further escalation and bloodshed keep growing. I fear the world is now sleepwalking into a wider war. I fear it's doing so with its eyes wide open."  

Two Nigerian men have been arrested by the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) in connection with the theft of motor vehicle parts at the South African Police Service (SAPS) vehicle pound in Benoni, Gauteng.  EMPD spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Kelebogile Thepa, in a statement on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, said a third suspect, also linked to the crime, showed police where he planned to sell the stolen parts.    "On Monday, 6 February 2023 at about 9 am, the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department in conjunction with the South African Police Service (SAPS) Benoni, arrested two Nigerian male suspects aged 30 and 40 years old as accomplices to committing a crime, related to the stolen motor vehicle parts case, that occurred at the SAPS vehicle pound in Benoni,? Thepa said.   "The EMPD members with the SAPS detectives, conducted an operation to arrest more suspects involved in the theft of motor vehicle parts, from the Van Rhyn Deep SAPS13 vehicle poun...

  A 24-year-old woman suspected to have set ablaze an apartment in Kampala, Uganda, killing two people has been charged in court and remanded to prison. Susan Kaitesi was arraigned before Nabweru Chief Magistrate's Court and charged with two counts of murder and another count of arson.  She's accused of burning to death her 24-year-old cousin, Patricia Arinda and 27-year-old boyfriend, Ivan Lukonge, in what police described as a love triangle. The incident happened on January 12, 2023, at Jinja Karoli Kawempe Zone A Ward in Nabweru Kawempe Division Kampala District. Kaitesi allegedly locked up the victims in her apartment bedroom before setting it ablaze.  The suspect is said to have run away from the inferno while telling anyone within the vicinity that a gas explosion had taken place.  The neighbours and police rescue team, however, found the bedroom locked. When they broke into the bedchamber, they discovered two corpses. The gas cooker was intact...

Gunmen have killed a lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State. Prof. Anthony Eze of the Faculty of Education was shot dead in the early hours of Tuesday, February 7, 2023.  It was gathered that the assailants stormed the deceased's residence in Awka with a Toyota Corolla car and shot him at close range. A resident of the area said the deceased attempted to flee on sighting the assailants who rushed and shot him repeatedly in his chest. We were here this morning when the man was driving out of his house and suddenly a Toyota Corolla saloon car pulled towards the entrance of his house, the source said.  When he tried to drive back they followed him and shot him, emptying about four bullets into his chest. As soon as they executed their plot, they fled to an unknown destination while we ran for our lives. He said the deceased was rushed to the General Hospital Amaku where he was confirmed dead by the doctor. Acting Director of Information and Publi...

  Pope Francis has declared the sale of weapons to be the 'biggest plague in the world'. He made the comment while speaking to reporters on a flight home to Rome from South Sudan alongside Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Right Reverend Iain Greenshields, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The visit was part of an unusual 'Pilgrimage of Peace' in Africa by Christian religious leaders to nudge forward the country's recovery from civil war. The Pope said on Sunday: 'Violence is an everyday theme. We have just seen it in South Sudan. It is painful to see how violence is provoked. 'One of the issues is the sale of weapons. The sale of arms: I think this is the biggest plagues in the world.' Said he had been told that if all sales of weapons stopped for a year, world hunger could come to an end. 'At the top today is the selling of arms. And not only among the great powers.   'Even to these poor people...

  Ghanaian footballer, Christian Atsu has been found alive following reports he was 'trapped' after an earthquake in Turkey. The 31-year-old defender, who played for both Chelsea and Newcastle was caught up in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake which occurred on Monday February 6.   Portuguese outlet A Bola reported that Atsu was rescued from the rubble and has been transported to hospital after suffering injuries to his right foot and breathing difficulties. Hatayspor, Atsu's current club, is located in the Turkish city of Hatay, which is believed to be one of the areas worst affected by the incident. As well as Atsu, it has been reported that the club's sporting director Taner Savut and an interpreter were also trapped following the earthquake.  Other footballers, including Onur Ergun and Burak Oksuz, were rescued following the incident. Two other teammates of Atsu, Ruben Ribeiro and Ze Luis, are also safe, while Kerim Alici managed to free himself from the rubb...

  A woman who had been declared dead and placed in a funeral home, came back to life over the weekend.   The bizarre case unfolded when the 82-year-old woman was pronounced dead at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Water's Edge Rehab and Nursing Center in Port Jefferson,  New York, on the North Shore of Long Island.   She was transported to the O.B. Davis Funeral Home in Miller Place.   However,  shortly after 2 p.m., the woman was found to be breathing, police said.   Funeral home staffers made the shocking discovery and the octogenarian was then brought to an area hospital, Suffolk County police said.  Her current condition is unknown.   Last week, an Iowa nursing home was fined $10,000 for similarly pronouncing a hospice patient dead and shipping her to a nursing home when she was actually alive.   A funeral home worker unzipped the body bag the 66-year-old woman was inside and found her gasping for air. The st...

NATO countries have responded to Turkey's appeal for help after two massive earthquakes devastated its southern and south-eastern provinces and claimed well over 4300 lives on Monday, February 6. More than 4,300 people have died and rescuers are racing to pull survivors from beneath the rubble after a devastating earthquake ripped through Turkey and Syria, leaving destruction and debris on each side of the border.   One of the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in a century shook residents from their beds at around 4 a.m. on Monday, sending tremors as far away as Lebanon and Israel. In Turkey, at least 2,921 people were killed and more than 15,800 others injured, according to Turkey's head of disaster services, Yunus Sezer.   In neighboring Syria, at least 1,451 people have died. According to the Syrian state news agency SANA, 711 people have died across government-controlled areas, mostly in the regions of Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus. Different countries...

The Premier League has charged Manchester City with more than 100 breaches of its financial rules following a four-year investigation.     In an unprecedented series of allegations, the Premier League said the breaches referred to a requirement to provide accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club's financial position in particular revenue,sponsorship revenue and operating costs.   The commission can impose punishments ranging from a fine and points deduction to expulsion from the Premier League.   Manchester City announced their surprise at the Premier League's statement and denied the charges. The club insisted there is irrefutable evidence to prove their innocence.   The Premier League said the breaches took place over a nine-season period, from 2009 to 2018. Manchester City won the Premier League three times during that time, as well as several other major domestic tournaments.   City have been referred to an...

  A suspected Chinese surveillance balloon shot down off the US coast was about 200 ft (60m) tall and carrying an airliner-sized load, The US military has revealed.   Remnants of the object - which the US believes is a spy balloon but China says is a weather monitoring ship blown astray - have been collected from a roughly 1,500m (4,920 ft) by 1,500m sized area, but it is thought debris is spread over a far larger site. The US is still working to recover debris off the coast of South Carolina. Multiple fighter jets were involved in the operation to shoot it down, but only one US Air Force F-22 took the shot at 14:39 local time (19:39 GMT) on Saturday days after it first appeared over US territory. It sent debris hurtling down about six nautical miles off the US coast. At a briefing on Monday, February 6, a US defence official said the size and make-up of the ballon informed the decision not to shoot it down while it was over land. "Picture large debris weighing hundreds if no...

  Jesse Marsch has been sacked as Leeds United manager after a poor run of results, the club announced Monday February 6. Leeds suffered a disappointing defeat on Sunday to fellow relegation rivals Nottingham Forest that left them one place above the bottom three in the Premier League.  A club statement read on Monday: "Leeds United can confirm head coach Jesse Marsch has been relieved of his duties. Jesse joined the club in February 2022 and was instrumental in keeping the club in the Premier League on the final day of last season. Rene Maric, Cameron Toshack and Pierre Barrieu will also leave the club. "We would like to thank Jesse and his backroom staff for their efforts and wish them well for the future. The process of appointing a new head coach is underway and we will continue to keep supporters up to date throughout the coming days."  Marsch became the third American to coach in England's top-flight division when Leeds appointed him in February 2022...

Madonna's appearance at the 2023 Grammys left several fans confused, with many taking to social media to ask if it's really the 64-year-old songstress.   The singer took the stage to introduce Kim Petras and Sam Smith for their "Unholy" appearance when fans commented on her look specifically her face.   "Me attempting to ignore the fact that Madonna has a whole new face. #GRAMMYs," one fan tweeted along with a meme video of Adele looking confused at a basketball game.       "Whaaaaaat happened to Madonna's face! #GRAMMYs," someone else wrote.   "This legit looks like a Madonna impersonator with pics of the real Madonna in the background. She really fucked up her face," another person wrote, referring to photos projected on the stage of Madonna's most iconic looks over the years.   Piers Morgan has now taken to Instagram to comment on Madonna's look.   He shared photos of the singer taken at the 2023 Grammy Awards a...

  The Chinese government on Monday February 6, accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force when the American military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on Saturday, saying that had seriously impacted and damaged both sides efforts and progress in stabilizing Chinese-U.S. relations. The U.S. shot down a balloon off the Carolina coast after it crossed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian aircraft and was not for civilian purposes but US denied the assertion saying the balloon was maneuverable with propellers.  The Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng said he lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. Embassy on Sunday over the U.S. attack on a Chinese civilian unmanned airship by military force. However, the United States turned a deaf ear and insisted on indiscriminate use of force against the civilian airship that was about to leave the United States airspace, which obvio...

  ?That?s the most important thing. Let?s see what happens in the future.? Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea believes the team has improved massively under manager, Erik Ten Hag. The Spanish international has played under Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and now Erik ten Hag as manager and says the Dutch tactician has restored a winning aura in the team. I've been in very tough moments for this club, said De Gea. Now I'm enjoying it more, winning games, especially here at home, and it's great to watch. The spirit is great, the atmosphere is great. Everyone is thinking in the same way, playing in the same way.   It's a great run. I think we've improved a lot from last season. It means a lot, because the game was under control, then in one action we lost one big player and it was tough until the end. They scored one goal and had a couple of good chances at the end.   We fought and it feels great to have won t...